interrogative
adjective
in·ter·rog·a·tive
| \ ˌin-tə-ˈrä-gə-tiv
\
\
Definition of interrogative
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a
: used in a question
b
: having the form or force of a question
2
: inquisitive, questioning
interrogative
nounDefinition of interrogative (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: a word (such as who, what, which) or a particle (such as Latin -ne) used in asking questions
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Examples of interrogative in a Sentence
Adjective
“Did you go to school today?” is an interrogative sentence. an interrogative pronoun such as “who” She had an interrogative expression on her face. an interrogative tone of voiceNoun
though she phrased it as an interrogative, it was clear that the utterance was more of a command
Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
One reason that Kempowski’s interrogative prose has a strange air of detachment is that the words have indeed detached themselves from the characters. — Rachel Aviv, The New Yorker, "Walter Kempowski’s Epic Novel of Germany in Collapse," 21 Mar. 2016 The movie’s superficiality perhaps embodies what Bradbury was trying to say—that TV and film are stunted, two-dimensional forms of entertainment compared to the complexity, the richness, and the interrogative nature of books. — Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, "Fahrenheit 451 Tackles the Evils of Social Media," 19 May 2018 Part of the role (theirs and mine) is the stylizing of language: speaking mostly in simple declarative sentences, making all discourse either expository or interrogative. — Susan Sontag, Esquire, "Trip to Hanoi," 19 Sep. 2017 Depending on the subject, the interrogative subject line suggests the article's author doesn’t know the answer. — Adam Lashinsky, Fortune, "Pushing Back on Tech Bubble Warnings," 7 Aug. 2017 Still, many other famous song titles remain question-mark averse, and when read aloud sound humorously declarative rather than interrogative. — Matt Wake | Mwake@al.com, AL.com, "These 25 songs are great but their punctuation sucks," 1 Aug. 2017 Well, that’s where this novel begins to rise aloft, on chemicals, pheromones and the power of the author’s interrogative grace. — Dwight Garner, New York Times, "‘The Answers’ Runs Down the Rabbit Hole of Love," 30 May 2017 For more than 40 years, Ms. Lawler has been making art in a wry interrogative mood, primarily with a camera. — Richard B. Woodward, WSJ, "‘Louise Lawler: Why Pictures Now’ Review: An Audience of Insiders," 3 May 2017 She's crisscrossed the globe in search of these unique experiences as a staff writer for The New Yorker since 2008, and now turns her interrogative eye on herself. — Angela Ledgerwood, Esquire, "The Best Books of 2017 (So Far)," 5 June 2017Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
But Zuckerberg didn’t reply to any hallway interrogatives. — Chad Pergram, Fox News, "It all comes down to Facebook's impregnable 'Terms of Service'," 11 Apr. 2018 Owing either to marketing efforts or issues that can only be determined in a therapy session, the signature hits of the Canadian child star’s adult career have boasted choruses as interrogatives. — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, "Justin Bieber Has Another Question for the Pop World," 17 Aug. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'interrogative.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for interrogative
interrogative
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of interrogative
(Entry 1 of 2)
: having the form of a question rather than a statement or command
: used to ask a question
formal
: asking a question : having the form or force of a question
interrogative
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of interrogative (Entry 2 of 2)
grammar
: a word (such as who, what, or which) that is used in asking a question
See the full definition for interrogative in the English Language Learners Dictionary
interrogative
adjective
in·ter·rog·a·tive
| \ ˌin-tə-ˈrä-gə-tiv
\
\
Kids Definition of interrogative
: having the form or force of a question
an interrogative sentence
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